As my Goal Challengers know all too well, I’ve been busily working away on my goals. Up first this year was the goal of painting our bed. And….drumroll….I’m happy to report it’s done!
I had been going back and forth about whether or not I should attempt to paint our bed now (before we move) or just wait until we get resettled. Well, after finding out that we’re moving somewhere new – Colorado – I decided to just go ahead and go for it! I decided to work with Annie Sloan paint, because it seemed so easy and wouldn’t require prepping of any kind. (Simple is my jam.)
Here is the before…
The bed was custom-made by my dad and it’s one of my favorite pieces of furniture. What I was growing tired of was the yellowing wood. The bed is made of oak and was long overdue for a little TLC. Look at her now…
We’re really happy with how it turned out. I’ll be open and honest though, it was a loooong project. Mostly due to my lack of experience and skill with Annie Sloan and because we didn’t really set up our “work station” properly. But it all came together, eventually!
I’m going to share my pointers with you and some other links, in case you want to do some of your own painting.
How to Paint with Annie Sloan
(1) The painting part is easy! You don’t need to prep or sand your furniture at all. Just start painting a clean piece of furniture/wood with the color of your choice. (You’ll need to find an AS distributor.) I used the color French Linen, pictured below, and I have a little bit of paint left over after painting our complete bed in two full coats.
(2) Buy a GOOD brush. I tried with a store-bought (cheap) brush and it did not work at all. I trekked back to the AS supply store and bought the real deal. It was worth every penny. (Paint brush is on the right below.) In fact I love how easily this brush cleans up with just water. I love this new brush. I believe mine is the small-sized brush.
(3) After you have finished painting with your paint you need to add a wax finish, pictured above next to the paint can. This part was my hardest part. I started by using WAY too much wax, a little goes a very long way people. I would not recommend using a rag to put it on, rather use a brush. I used the blue brush above and it worked great. Annie Sloan also sells a brush for wax and I’ve heard it works well. As you apply the wax, keep wiping and buffing the surface to keep the wax working well into the wood. Remember less is more. 🙂
The paint is a great product! I love how it transformed our bed and I look forward to freshening up the tables as well. In my opinion Annie Sloan gives furniture a bit of a rustic look. I think this may be more because of how much grain our bed has, but you’ll want to keep this in mind. Before jumping on the Annie Sloan train, visit a distributor and look at the pieces of furniture they have on display. This will give you an idea of what the paint looks like when applied. It will depend entirely on what you are covering and your skill level, ha!
Lastly, here are some fantastic resources that helped me along the way…
Beginner’s Guide – Annie Sloan Chalk Pain & Wax
Happy Decorating!
